Imabari Wildfires
(There is no sound in this clip.)
Note: this video is obviously not mine. I was not able to embed it from the source, and do not know if it will expire. It is a Mainichi News video clip, originally found here. The caption reproduced and then translated below is attached to the clip on the original site.
２４日午後５時１０分ごろ、愛媛県今治市朝倉上の笠松山（標高３５７メートル）で山火事が起きていると、市消防本部に１１９番通報があった。２５日午後４時半現在、山林約９１ヘクタールを焼いて延焼中で鎮火のめどはたっていない。現場は瀬戸内海国立公園に含まれ、一番近い民家まで約１５０メートルに迫っているという。
四国４県や自衛隊のヘリコプター計約１０機と地元消防署などが日没まで消火に当たった。今治市は２４日午後９時、周辺５０世帯に避難勧告を出し２世帯（２人）が避難、２５日午前１１時には新たに２世帯（３人）に避難勧告を出し３人が避難した。
【撮影・毎日新聞航空部】
In Ehime Prefecture, at roughly 5:10 P.M. JST on August 24th a tip came into the Imabari city fire department via a 119 call reporting that a brush fire was burning on Mt. Kasamatsu (357 meters above sea level), located in the Asakura area. It is now 4:30 P.M. on the 25th, and approximately 91 hectares have burned as the fire continues to spread. It is uncertain when and if it will be extinguished. The affected area is part of the Seto Inland Sea National Park; it is said that the closest private homes are approximately 150 meters from the blaze.
10 helicopters from the four prefectures of Shikoku and the Self Defense Force and the local fire
department battled the fire until sunset. The city of Imabari issued evacuation advisories at 9 P.M. on the 24th to 50 nearby households; 2 complied (2 people total). At 11 A.M. on the 25th, 2 more households (3 people total) were advised to evacuate; 3 people did so.【Filmed by the Mainichi Newspaper Air Division】
An English language news release is available via the Japan Times Online, for those who are interested. And while I’m tossing out links, here are some Japanese language news blurbs about the fire from Asahi and Mainichi.
Lastly, let me say, no, I was not anywhere near the fire. I had no idea there was a fire until Tuesday. I live on an island off the coast of Imabari. A fire would be hard pressed to make it out to me. And as far as I know there were no injuries (nor burned down property). So, no worries, folks. 